Book 3, Part 2: Zuko's Mission
by trysomethingnew
Summary: The search for Zuko's mother is full of strange twists and turns and secrets that have been kept from Zuko his entire life. Was Ursa really the person Zuko thought she was? Or did she have more reasons to leave the Fire Nation than just to save her son's life? Introduces a few OOC's, including Yuri from "Yue's Sister" and has nothing to do with the graphic novel by Nickelodeon.


Neither of the two prison guards hesitated or said a word when he raised his hood and stated his business. No one questioned him as he stepped down so many of the stairways and dark stone hallways that he almost lost count, and stopped at a heavy wooden door. The guard simply took out the key and opened the door to the cell, stepping aside. Peering inside, Zuko nodded to the guard that the cell was acceptable accommodation for the prisoner. However wrong she had done in the past, Zuko could not ignore the fact that his sister was obviously very ill, and needed to be held in solitude for her own safety as well as the safety of others. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable, because he could never truly hate his own sister—and perhaps that was the true difference between them.

"Hello Zuzu." That voice, once it had caused a chill to inch across his skin, or his blood to boil with anger. Now, it sounded small and weak, like a helpless child or a small mammal. She stood in the center of the mostly bare room, her hair pulled up into an awkward style that was obviously meant to try to hide the split ends and awkward angles she'd cut it off at. Her eyes were sunken and dark, as if she'd spent years in this cell away from the sun, not just days. Even when her arms weren't tied back with the special cloak that had been developed for her out of a fireproof fabric, Azula had never looked helpless or scared, until just then.

"Would you like some tea? I'm sure mine's poisoned, so I'd rather you have it than me." She nodded towards the small table with a small stone teacup. Zuko could barely see it in the dim light of the room. The place was lit with special crystals that had been brought in from the caves beneath Ba Sing Se. There were no fire-lit torches, no windows to show the outside world, especially not the sun. The cell itself was too far underground to have use for any such windows, and there were many very small ventilation shafts in the ceiling, barely large enough for a rodent to crawl through.

"If anyone were to try to poison you, they wouldn't do it during a visit from the Fire Lord. That would raise too many suspicions, don't you think?" Zuko shook his head. "Sit down Azula, please." Ever since he'd seen her cry, for the first time ever that day, Zuko had felt an aching protectiveness that he knew was the natural way of feeling for a younger sibling.

"Of course they would, then it would be entirely too easy to frame you for murdering the one person you hate even more than the previous Fire Lord, your Highness. And it would make it that much more difficult for you to question me about Ursa." Zuko had to strain to hear any part of the old Azula in her voice. There was the barest hint of her cold calculating in it, but at least she had managed to say something he hadn't expected.

"How do you know that I'm looking for her?" He asked, unsure if he wanted the answer.

Azula frowned. "The mice told me you were looking for Ursa. And Daddy wouldn't tell you anything, would he? No, Daddy's a naughty boy, doesn't treat the new Fire Lord with any respect. He should be proud of his son, took over the throne over the intended heir, betrayed family and lifelong friends alike to form a coup. Turned out just like him, even better than me, I bow down, to the better Fire Lord." She made a clumsy motion that might resemble bowing to someone who had never seen it done before.

Struggling not to take what Azula said to heart, Zuko breathed deeply. "What do you know about our mother?"

"Your mother you mean. She was no mother of mine." Now she was picking at her fingernails, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Her name was Ursa, she was Ozai's wife and gave birth to Ozai's firstborn son and heir. Oh, and she was Avatar Roku's granddaughter. Anything else you want to know?" Azula wrapped her arms tightly around herself and laughed.

Zuko sighed and shook his head. "I know you have unresolved issues with mom, just like I had with our father. Ursa was your mother and she loved us both, you have to know that." He wanted to scold her, to make her feel small again, this strangeness unnerved him even more than her weakness.

"My mother was a whore! And Ursa was a fool, she should have left me to die when I was a baby, and maybe her precious son wouldn't ever have lived without his mommy." Once again, Azula raised her head to stare at the ceiling and laughed. "I should have died when I was born. I would have been and was only ever a threat to your throne. You're lucky she managed to drive me crazy, or you'd probably be the one dead by now."

Zuko had heard enough. "You need help, Azula. And I want to help you but you have to tell me what you know about where Ursa is first. I know she can help you, we just have to find her."

By now Azula was far too gone. She went to the table and picked up the teacup. She sang a strange song into the cup, murmuring so Zuko couldn't hear the words properly. When she threw the cup against the floor so it shattered, Zuko jumped and called the guards. She'd grabbed a rather large shard of the porcelain cup and dragged it a fair way down her own arm before two of the guards managed to wrestle it away from her.

"Get a healer down here as soon as possible!" He ordered, never realizing how scared her really could be of someone until just then. Azula was incredibly unstable, and there was no way she could be trusted not to hurt herself or anyone else. He also couldn't believe anything she said anyways, so why had he even bothered coming here?

"Fire Lord Zuko, I suggest you leave now, we will get the prisoner moved into a clean room and taken care of immediately." A guard said, bowing deeply enough to make it clear he meant no disrespect to Zuko by giving him the advice.

"Her name is Azula, and she's a member of the Royal Family. Treat her well and do not call her by anything other than her name." Zuko snapped, but turned to leave anyway.

"Ask me where my mother's buried! I can tell you where mom died and how!" Azula howled at Zuko's back, grunting as she struggled against being forced back into the confining cloak. Zuko closed his eyes and fought back tears.

_Azula always lies._

The cool night air brought new life into Zuko's lungs, and he stood outside of the prison's gates for a long time, just breathing. He'd felt his own fire-bending powers lessen the further underground he had gotten, and felt relieved that he'd been able to hire earth-benders who were comfortable in such situations to guard the prison and the special level he'd had built for Azula.

"Nice night for a walk. Or for visiting imprisoned and unstable family members." Zuko jumped, and opened his eyes.

"Uncle, what are you doing out here? I wasn't even expecting you to arrive until morning." He said, smiling awkwardly. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just—"

Iroh nodded in his way, that made Zuko feel as if everything was about to make sense again. "I've been to see your father as well, and I know what you are going through right now." Then he frowned deeply. "I wish I could help, but there are many secrets Ozai kept from me that I fear were probably things I did not want to know in the first place. And the things he did confide in me with…" He shrugged. "I know what it is like, to have a sibling who you do not understand, and want to, but it is difficult. Perhaps you shouldn't take it personally, Zuko. Everyone has their reasons for who and what they are."

"She said Ursa wasn't our mother. Or rather, her mother, does that even make any sense? I've known Azula all her life, but I've never seen her like this before. It's like she's lost the part of herself that she used to know. Now I wonder if anyone would recognize her." If there was anyone who could help him understand Azula, it had to be his uncle. He'd known Azula since she was born, and unlike Zuko, he could remember much of her early years.

Iroh looked thoughtful, and then turned his head towards the moon. "Do you believe that the sins of the father are revisited on his children? Perhaps if I had been a man of peace in the beginning, my son Lu Ten would still be with us. But then, many other things might have changed as well. Your father's sin against me was to be revisited upon you, but your mother stopped it. Do you think perhaps that was not the first time she interfered with your father's cruel tendancies?"

"What do you mean? Did father try to do something to Azula once? And I don't remember because I was too young?" Zuko's head was spinning. "That might make sense. Maybe I should pay my father another visit soon."

"Perhaps you should. I think there is more to learn from him than just where you can find your mother."


End file.
